Learning

The municipality of Skopelos and the ministery of education are offering 25 hour courses on several subject for Greek speaking persons. Non Greeks can also apply (until Friday) if their Greek is good enough to follow the lessons.

PROGRAM

1. HOUSEHOLD BEEKEEPING 25 hours

2. BUSINESS AND TOURISM DEVELOPMENT 25 hours

3. RECYCLING – COMPOST 25 hours

4. ONLINE PROMOTION MARKETING AND TOURISM MANAGEMENT 25 hours

5. SOCIAL NETWORK ELECTRONIC MEDIA (SOCIAL MEDIA) 25 hours

Applications for the programs are made at the Skopelos Community Center (near Koxili bakery) every day from 10:00 to 14:00 from 28/11 to 6/12/2019 with your Police Identity or Passport- Regardless of age-
You can also call to 24240-23294 or 24243-50132
Email: kentrok@skopelos.gov.gr

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Support the scouts and buy your own decorated candle for Easter

The scouts have decorated candles for Easter. On Saturday morning at 11 they will be waiting for you to support them. They will have a table opposite the harbor entrance near the bakery. With the money the kids can go on educational trips on the mainland. Please support them.

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Yannis Behrakis: The voice of the refugees R.I.P

Photo;Yannis Behrakis

This post has nothing the do with Skopelos but it has to do with Greece and the time we live in. Yannis Behrakis was a world renowned Greek photojournalist who won, with his team, a Pulitzer price in 2016 for the body of work about refugees arriving in Greece and their long journey towards peace, freedom and hopefully finding a home.

Yannis Behrakis said: ”The way the Greeks handled the crises (refugees from Syria and other countries) in the middle of a crises, it was remarkable. You know they gave money out of their pockets that had no money. The Pulitzer should go to the Greek people”

The world has lost one of the best photojournalists of our time who risked his life to give voice to the voiceless: “For me there is only one choice, to help these people, because apart from simple rules of humanity, you don’t know if one day you become a refugee or a migrant. Greece is full of people that everyday are becoming immigrants, how would you like if your brother goes to The States and they treat him badly?” ~ Yannis Behrakis Full story: https://bit.ly/2En5AGM
Source: https://greece.greekreporter.com

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Safety on the internet

On Monday at 18.00 in Orfeas cinema there will be a presentation about safety on the internet. The presentation will be in Greek.

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Park elsewhere

Parking near the harbor is terrible at the moment. At night, drivers are circling the harbor for a long time before they find a spot. The cars are parked everywhere, even on the beach. There is a car park behind the health center which is only a few minutes walk from the center of Skopelos. I am going to try that out after last nights disaster. It is a pity it is not well known where you can park except in the parking lot and the harbor.

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Forever remembered

In an attempt to have something permanent that reminds the elementary school and the students (of the 6th grade) of their time spent in the school, the Skopelos Foundation for the Arts together with the students made colored clay tiles with various themes.

The baked tiles were then put on one of the walls of the elementary school. Every year the next 6th graders will do the same

.

The tiles were placed on the wall by Pavel and Jill and more volunteers helped out. What a great initiative.

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No parking

From Monday the 4th of June is is forbidden to park your car in the area surrounding the harbor of Skopelos. This means the harbor front, around the entrance of the harbor and the street towards the village, in front of the mayors office and in some places around the old harbor. It is best to park your car in the car park or somewhere further away like around the high school, in the car park near the stadium etc. etc. I picked up the news from the Greek blog Efimerida Vories Sporades

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Good job!

The Monastery of Panagia Livadiotissa (Ζoodochou Pigis) is of the 17th century and is situated in the lower part of the area east of Skopelos town. There are no monks or nuns living there now but it is considered a very important church. Every year there is a church celebration where many people carry an icon of the family around the village. The ceremony starts in Panagia Livadiotissa.

Sofia has been an inhabitant of Skopelos for many years and one of her many talents is restoring houses, walls, buildings in general. She restores and up-cycles many things. This way the island and the village of Skopelos, where she lives, remains authentic and beautiful. Sofia also takes visitors around Skopelos and informs them about the herbs, plants, history, way of life, culture and nature of Skopelos. Sofia has her own blog. http://www.skopelos39steps.com/home/4557264669

Sofia likes to take on projects. She always looks for ways to restore and improve. It all started when helping out a friend she discovered an old archway. Here is what she says:” It all started with my intention to raise funds to replace a rickety old gate at the Livadiotissa monastery. That gate has now been replaced with a new one, made of the recycled metal from the old one fitted to new side posts.The funds for this gate were raised by voluntary donations from participants in free walks and forage sessions to gather herbs and other plants abundant on the island.

Such was the success of this project, it has been possible to use the surplus funds to plan the restoration of the beautiful, but crumbling stone archway at the forecourt of the monastery’s main entrance. Already, Manthos the stone mason has completed the archway restoration

and it is now the turn of Andonis, the blacksmith, to show his skill in re-fashioning a foraged cast iron bar gate for the beautiful archway.

Contributors to the fundraising included holidaying visitors to the island from far away countries, Greeks from the mainland and members of the Skopelos community (Greeks and ex-pats alike). I thank all those involved for the success of this restoration project which all of us can now enjoy in this beautiful, prime location.

http://www.skopelos39steps.com/sofias-blog/4557804331
http://www.skopelos39steps.com/sofias-blog/4557804331/Restoration-project-at-local-monastery-complete/11203964

Thank you Sofia !

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Once upon a time

Going to school on an island can be difficult. Fortunately on this island there are enough children that live here so schools were built and the children can visit all types of schools. On Skopelos we have kindergarten schools , preschools, elementary schools and high schools. After the education here the students have to leave the island to go to a university or another kind of higher education.

To get teachers to the island is difficult so sometimes children at the elementary school start the school year without a teacher and two classes are joined until the new teacher arrives. At the highschool certain subjects cannot be taught until the teacher turns up. You are supposed to be able to choose between two foreign languages besides English but many times only one language teacher will be available. The Greek system for getting teachers into schools is complicated. You cannot teach in your hometown or the town/village of your choice until you have gathered a certain amount of points. The further you travel the better. In the most remote places you get the most points. That does not always help because the costs for living and transportation are very high and not everybody wants to come and work and live in remote places. The results are that in some schools, in remote places, one teacher will teach all classes. Students will follow extra classes at the end of the year to catch up with what has not been taught. It is difficult for teachers and students.

Once upon a time there was a girl who lived on a small Greek island. From a very young age she liked the english language and she tried very hard to obtain the diploma’s to be able to study english in the UK. It is not an easy task to accomplish that in a country where the last seven years an economic crisis has forced many families to tell their children they cannot study what they want because there are other priorities. But this girl persevered. She did her finals and when the outcome was not what she expected she found a way to get into another exam which has given her the right to select an english university of her choice to study english. She did not give up, she followed her dream and made it happen. A girl on a small Greek island. I will think of her when I am complaining about life and how “difficult” things are…..

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Message from the greek fire department

-avoid work that can cause fire,
-don’t burn grass, leaves, branches and waste,
-don’t throw burning cigarettes and cigars on the roads,
-don’t use fireworks in area close to the forest

The protection of the forest is also our responsibility.

In case of fire call 199

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